Taking time away from Marseille before the start of pre-season training, the former Manchester United and Juventus left-back has tried his hand at falconry, though it seemed his primary goal was to talk ‘Griffin’ into action.

“Do you love this game?” he asked the falcon. “You have to look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Although he got little response from the bird, he simply laughed it off then tried his hand at sandboarding, throwing himself down a steep dune with some style as he managed to keep his balance all the way to the bottom.

Finally, on his desert adventure, he took a dune buggy out for a spin, threatening to drive off into the sunset before eventually returning.